The Minister of Health announces changes regarding abortion. It's about contracts with hospitals
Izabela Leszczyna announced changes in contracts with hospitals. They will affect, among others: on how the conscience clause has been used so far.
Minister of Health Izabela Leszczyna announced that the ministry is working on changes to contracts with hospitals. A necessary condition for obtaining a contract with the National Health Fund will be to offer patients all the services included in the “basket”. This also applies to abortion.
The changes are expected to be “a matter of a few weeks.” – We are working on changes in the so-called general terms and conditions of contracts with medical entities, i.e. with hospitals, in which we want to state very clearly that if a gynecology and obstetrics department has a contract with the National Health Fund, it means that it must guarantee its patients access to all services that are in the so-called basket – said Leszczyna in an interview with Polish Radio Katowice.
There will be changes related to the conscience clause
One of the benefits included in the basket is pregnancy termination. In other words: abortion. It is possible in two cases provided for by law. – One reason is a threat to the mother's health or life. The second reason is when the pregnancy is the result of a crime, Leszczyna explained.
However, the mere presence of a benefit in the basket does not mean that it is always provided. – Unfortunately, it often happens in Polish hospitals that a doctor hides behind his conscience clause by saying that he does not perform abortions – noted the Minister of Health.
The Ministry of Health wants to remind hospitals of their obligations
In such cases, the Ministry of Health, as the legal regulator, is to remind hospitals that they are obliged to provide access to all services. Otherwise, she will lose the contract with the National Health Fund, she announced.
– This is our agreement. We say: we pay you for services, you are obliged to provide access to all services, so if Polish law provides for termination of pregnancy in these two dramatic cases, the given department is simply obliged to ensure the presence of a doctor who will save the patient's life – explained the minister.
